---
name: "Charles Coles"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/charles-honi-coles"
fi1m_id: "charles-honi-coles"
imdb_id: "nm0171286"
tmdb_id: 4198
wikidata_id: "Q1064863"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "2 April 1911"
died: "12 November 1992"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-24T03:24:03.180653+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Charles Coles

## Identity

Charles Coles

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/charles-honi-coles
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** charles-honi-coles
- **IMDb ID:** nm0171286
- **TMDB ID:** 4198
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1064863
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Coles, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1064863, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0171286/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/4198

Actor. Born 2 April 1911 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Died 12 November 1992.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 2 April 1911, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- **Died:** 12 November 1992
- **Also known as:** Charles "Honi" Coles, Charles Honi Coles, Honi Coles
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 2: 1 acting, 1 other
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1970s 66 (1), 1980s 79 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Coles, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1064863, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0171286/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/4198

## Streaming the US now

- **Pluto TV:** [*Dirty Dancing*](https://film.one/film/dirty-dancing.md) (79)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Charles 'Honi' Coles (2 April 1911 – 12 November 1992) was an American actor and tap dancer. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and died in New York City. He is known for his role as Tito Suarez in the film *Dirty Dancing* (1987).

Coles had an extensive career in tap dance and theatre. He formed the duo Coles & Atkins with Charles 'Cholly' Atkins and appeared on Broadway in productions including *Gentlemen Prefer Blondes* (1949) and *My One and Only* (1983), for which he received Tony and Drama Desk Awards for best featured actor in a musical. He also appeared in the films *Rocky II* (1979) and *The Cotton Club* (1984). Coles received the National Medal of Arts in 1991 and was inducted posthumously into the Tap Dance Hall of Fame in 2003.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, encyclopedia.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

### Performed in (1) — the average rests on these

- *Dirty Dancing* (1987), Fi1m 79, as Tito Suarez — [page](https://film.one/film/dirty-dancing.md)

### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *Rocky II* (1979), Fi1m 66, as Singer (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/rocky-ii.md)

## Complete filmography (6)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Dirty Dancing* (1987), as Tito Suarez — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/dirty-dancing.md)
- *The Cotton Club* (1984), as Suger Coates
- *Mr. Griffin and Me* (1981), as William 'Bill' Murphy
- *Rocky II* (1979), as Singer (uncredited) — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/film/rocky-ii.md)
- *Charleston* (1979), as Old Shady
- *The Tap Dance Kid* (1978), Actor

## Awards

### Other awards — 4 won

- National Medal of Arts 1991: National Medal of Arts (won)
- Capezio Dance Award 1988: Capezio Dance Award (won)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical 1983: Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (won)
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical 1983: Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/charles-honi-coles